Biden Gives Reporter 4-Word Response Amid Pressure to Drop Out

Facing growing pressure from his party to step aside, President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House that he plans to stay in the race for the upcoming November election.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Biden declared.

During a subpar performance in a recent CNN debate against former President Donald Trump, Biden struggled to answer questions clearly and outline his plans. This has led Democratic legislators, funders, and analysts to urge him to withdraw before the convention.

In a speech on the White House lawn, Biden honored World War II veterans as heroes who fought for freedom and democracy. This address was intended to reassure his supporters of his capability to challenge Trump. Biden reiterated his commitment to the 2024 contest at the end of his address.

“You got me, man. I’m not going anywhere. Alright,” Biden told reporters. “I used to think, when I was a Senator, there was always congestion on the highways. There’s no congestion anymore! We go out on the highway and there’s no congestion!”

He continued, “The way they get me to stop talking, they’ll say, ‘we just shut down all the roads, Mr. President. You’re gonna lose all the votes if you don’t get in,’ but anyway.”

According to Mediaite: “Biden spoke with Democratic governors at a private meeting at the White House on Wednesday evening to reassure them about his candidacy. The president told the officials that he needed more rest and that his staff has been instructed to avoid scheduling events after 8 p.m.”

WATCH:

Reports emerged earlier this week suggesting Biden is seriously considering whether he should remain the Democratic presidential nominee.

According to a New York Times report, Biden confided to a “key ally” that he might not be able to win re-election if he cannot convince the American people of his fitness to serve after his poor debate performance.

“The president, who the ally emphasized is still deeply in the fight for re-election, understands that his next few appearances heading into the holiday weekend — including an interview scheduled for Friday with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News and campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — must go well,” the report stated.

“He knows if he has two more events like that, we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend, an unnamed source told the Times.

White House Spokesman Andrew Bates disputed the report, stating: “That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment, we would have told them so.”

The Times continued: “The conversation is the first indication to become public that the president is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday. Concerns are mounting about his viability as a candidate and whether he could serve as president for another four years. Campaign officials were nervously watching polls, recognizing that bad numbers could fuel the crisis. A CBS News poll on Wednesday showed former President Donald J. Trump edging ahead of Mr. Biden since the debate with 50 percent to 48 percent nationally and 51 percent to 48 percent in battleground states.”

A top adviser to Biden, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the president was “well aware of the political challenge he faces.”

The New York Times added: “Biden is slowly reaching out to Democratic elected officials and has a meeting with Democratic governors at the White House scheduled for Wednesday evening. He is also continuing to reach out to people he has long trusted and has told at least one person that he is open to the possibility that his plans to move on from his debate performance — and shift the focus back to his challenger, Mr. Trump — may not work. Several allies of Biden, who has huddled with family and advisers since the debate on Thursday, have underscored that the president is still in the fight of his political life and largely sees this moment as a chance to come back from being counted out, as he has done many times throughout his half-century career.”

Biden received some disheartening news from a new survey following his poor debate performance against Trump.

According to a CBS News/YouGov poll released on Sunday, 72 percent of Americans believe that Biden does not have the “mental and cognitive health to serve as president.” This marks a 7-point increase from just three weeks ago. In contrast, voters are evenly split on whether former President Donald Trump has the mental and cognitive capacity for the job, with 50 percent saying he does and 49 percent saying he does not.

The survey also revealed that a significant number of Americans, including nearly half of his own party, believe that the president should not run for reelection.

Overall, 72 percent of respondents told CBS/YouGov that Biden should not seek reelection, including a surprising 46 percent of Democrats.